Read it Later story count: 90 (nc)
Words read this week: 42,596
It's been a ridiculously long time, and I apologise to ezra09 on the off-chance that they're still around (last Fimfiction login: March 2024) but finally Ponyfic Roundup is up and running again! As you may remember me saying a billion years ago or so, it's Spotlight time, even if the story is only just over my rough 40k-word lower length limit for such fics. Enough babbling; off we go!
Discordant by ezra09
Scootaloo, Discord, Mane Six and CMCs
G4; Adventure; 43k words; Apr–Aug 2012; Everyone
When Discord finds a crack in his prison he begins whispering to a lonely Scootaloo.
As that publication date will tell you, this is pre-reformation Discord The fic is set in late S2, and Discord is very much at his manipulative best (or worst) here. In fact, the chief joy of this story is the well above average characterisation of the draconequus. There's a nicely restrained undercurrent of his playful needling of Chrysalis, too – Cadance's wedding is within the story's chronology. You have to accept pre-"Sleepless in Ponyville" Scootaloo, orphan and all, but it's not hammered home too much with one or two exceptions. There are some parallels with "The Return of Harmony", but this Discord is clever enough not to try the same thing again. A good, readable story that, while it shows its age, is still recommended particularly for Scootafans. Top-end three. ★★★
As you'd expect, beyond here thou shalt find spoilers galore!
This is one of the better "orphan Scootaloo" fics out there, primarily because it generally doesn't dwell on that aspect of her life. It is the way Discord gets under her skin in the first place, which is believable, and there is a slightly less successful part later on wherein Rainbow Dash impulsively arranges for Scoots to return to the orphanage. She's doing it out of kindness – she hates the filly sleeping in the Crusaders' clubhouse – but it causes real problems, as it turns out Scootaloo ran away from the orphanage.
The other two CMCs are fairly lightly sketched, as this is mostly Scootaloo's story, but the usual pre-S5 anxiety about cutie marks is present and correct. One small subplot where it seems that Sweetie Belle has obtained hers goes into pushing Scootaloo towards Discord's manipulation. Spike, meanwhile, is manipulated in the most obvious way: by using his crush on Rarity. It's not especially originally done, but the workmanlike approach doesn't cause any real problems.
Discord himself is the most satisfyingly drawn character here. He's exactly what he should be at this point: less actively nasty than he's hinted to have been before his first defeat, but definitely not the (generally) good guy he was after Fluttershy had done her work. He makes Scoots into the Element of Betrayal, which is hardly minor. This Discord never quite tips over into actually hurting ponies, but you always get the feeling that he's teetering on the edge of that and that a relatively small gust could have blown him over that edge.
Princess Luna has a rather uneven part here, involving nightmares about her banishment, that ends up with her stealing the Elements of Harmony. This didn't quite work for me, as it just seemed too much of a stretch that post-Nightmare Moon Luna would fall back this badly. Celestia, meanwhile, is... Celestia. She doesn't have a lot of character (I don't think she even drinks tea) and her relationship with Scootaloo is slightly less interesting than it ought to be.
Chrysalis is nicely nasty, and the spiky relationship between her and Discord is great, if a little bit underused. The other character who make up the "Elements of Disharmony" are generally who you'd expect: Trixie, Diamond Tiara, Gilda... you get the idea. None of them really have enough screen time to make a major impact, which is a pity. Trixie in particular is rather a pathetic figure here, very easily overcome by Twilight when it really matters.
All in all, the character work is why you'd want to read this one, in particular if you want a late-S2 Discord who generally convinces. I think he's better in the first half of the fic, with a slight feeling of rushing creeping in later on; this also shows up in silly typos like "ponyville" (several times). Most of what happens, such as Scootaloo's flying anxiety, ties back to interactions between the principal cast. I think it was a wise decision to keep this relatively short; it just about stays on the rails.
Five very short fics for next week. These will be:
Hey Jealousy by Ruirik
Luna takes a shower by LittleAngelStocking
Trixie defeats the entire Legion of Doom in a Waffle House. [sic] by TheMajorTechie
A Break in Apple Bucking Season by RenaissanceBrony
Diary of a Time Looper by Kodeake
boy oh boy, I hate that I can say this: it's been over a decade since I read this fic! D:
ReplyDeleteand apparently I had more or less the same reaction as you, liked it in general with a few caveats here and there
Another I've read that was so long ago before I took notes or even sorted fics by rating that I can't remember a thing about it! Though to be honest, I remember finding it rough and a bit of a slog towards the end, especially when, as my memory tells me, ponies are just loitering around outside Canterlot after chaos has been unleashed or something. Details slip, but that's really all I got.
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